


The Beginning

by talefeathers



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 05:53:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6788389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talefeathers/pseuds/talefeathers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Contrary to popular belief, James hadn't always had a crush on Lily.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning

Contrary to popular belief, James hadn’t always had a crush on Lily. In fact, his friends had begun teasing him about his feelings for her almost two full years before those feelings actually developed.

It had really started on an early third-year morning. He’d been collecting dew from the grounds for Potions, a vial for each of the Marauders. They’d all been out quite late the night before, and so he’d volunteered to harvest the dew and let the other three sleep in. And that’s when he’d nearly stumbled right into Lily Evans, looking, he was sure, like a baggy-eyed tousle-haired mess.

“Oh -- sorry,” he said with a weak smile. She smiled back.

“So you forgot to get your dew, too?” she asked. “We don’t need that much, you know.”

“Y-yeah -- yeah, I know, I’m just. I had to get some for Sirius and Remus and Peter, as well.”

“Ah. Fun night, then?”

James thought about Remus’s screams as he transformed, about the tense moments before he remembered that the other animals in the shack weren’t there to hurt him, and then the long, sleepless night keeping the werewolf out of human sight.

“James?”

“Hm? Oh! Yeah, ha. Yeah, fun.”

She smiled again, but this time with a tinge of worry.

“Well, it was nice of you to help your friends out like this. I’m sure they appreciate it.”

“Ah, well. They’d’ve done the same for me.”

She nodded, seeming to think for a moment.

“Would you like some help?” she asked.

He knew he should refuse, if only to preserve some sort of cool aloofness, but he felt dead on his feet.

“That would actually be great. Thanks.”

She took two of the vials from him and eased his tedious task with a steady stream of conversation that not only kept him alert, but managed to lift his spirits somewhat. By the time they began their walk back up to the castle she had him laughing.

“I’d better run and get them up,” James said finally once they were inside, jabbing a thumb toward a moving staircase to indicate his three friends still sleeping in the Gryffindor dormitory. “But thanks again for your help.”

“Of course,” Lily said. “See you later, James.”

She gave a little wave and began to walk toward the Great Hall, but she turned back about halfway there for one last comment:

“I like your hair, by the way.”


End file.
